Good morning, everyone. These summer days have blasted all the creativity out of me, so I thought I'd do a slight remix of this outfit. It just so happens to be my very second outfit post as well. What a difference a year makes. The only thing I've swapped out are the sandals. Otherwise, the outfit is essentially the same. I simply cannot live without linen and light woven cotton these days. And don't forget those stripes to spice things up. On another note, I didn't realize I'd changed so much until I looked at the photos side by side. I sort of miss my short hair. If I recall correctly, I'd gotten one cut and two trims the entire year since. Not bad, I say!

 It's not every day that I come across a hillside like this in the middle of a city (not my own unfortunately). Nestled between two bridges lies this quiet, sunny stretch of green grass. A dried up, sand filled canal cleaves through the valley. I did wonder if this area was off limits as there were no other humans in sight. A park could be located nearby on the other side and perhaps that's where they all congregated, but who could resist the beauty of this lovely hillside? Certainly not us!

 I almost didn't want to wear this outfit just because I felt like I was showing too much skin. But then I realized that this was nothing compared to other people who wear super short shorts (I can literally see their butt cheeks!) and revealing tops in the summer. I figured I was safe. Anyway, I would only wear this sort of crop top if my bottom piece was high waisted - like this H&M skirt (I wore it once here). I'm not one to feel terribly comfortable baring my midriff for all the world to see. However, I couldn't loved the marsala color and eyelet details so much that I was determined to find a way to work it into my wardrobe. There was a matching skirt but all the ones in my size were gone (and I didn't think it was worth the price anyway).

 Right after these photos were taken, we were chased off by security. While it's not private property, it's not exactly public property either. I've been here multiple times with and without permission so I was surprised when the security lady told us to leave. I probably won't be coming back to this area anymore as I'd rather avoid trouble. It's too bad though. Such a pretty little place with tons of photo opportunities! And as it was, we didn't get to finish the shoot so we went to our local library that's got this lovely grassy area with beautiful trees.

   Now that I'm determined to grow my hair to at least waist length after 4+ years of shoulder length hair, I've finally started using conditioner.  I remember my mother blasting the waves out of my hair with a blow dryer set on high heat in an attempt to control my wild mass of frizzy hair. Let's just say, that was not the answer to controlling unruly hair. I truly believed conditioner was going to weigh down my hair and make it greasy. Was it any wonder why my hair often looked like a rat's nest (or one of those straw brooms according to my mother)?

   Well, after 8 years without it, I now saturate the length of my hair with Yes to Carrots Nourishing conditioner every time I wash my hair. The frizz is much more manageable and the waves are more defined. Took me this long to realize that my hair had been screaming for moisture all these years. I almost feel bad.

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What I wore:

Top: Forever21

Skirt: thrifted

Sandals: ASOS

Photos: John & me

 While I am not very fond of summer (and the scorching heat that it brings), I do think the evenings can be quite lovely for chasing the golden hour. The sun is still going strong, but its rays now cast a soft, warm glow throughout the park. It's comforting and gentle and surprises me how nice it can be. I find I only get this feeling when I'm out somewhere filled with nature - lush green grass, trees, lakes. I would love to be able to wake up and stroll through the forest anytime I want. Now if only I could step through my wardrobe into a magical land called...!

 Wearing this bright orange shift dress reminded me of those childhood days eating icy cold orange popsicles under the blazing hot sun. I remember the grape flavor was the worst of the bunch. I hated that flavor with a passion. Blegh. I did get a kick out of my purple tinted lips and tongue though. Cherry was a great favorite among us kids and those were always the first to disappear. And while we're at it, didn't anyone else grow up eating those red/yellow swirly pineapple popsicles? I loved them as a kid. We'd always by the generic version but they didn't taste any different from the leading brands.